# Why Does he lick me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460 "2003-05-06T18:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/1 "2003-05-06T18:15:45Z")
Why do dogs lick humans? Is it a form of affection? Is it to clean them? Is it to get the salt off their body? (I’d like to think of it as affection) Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/2 "2003-05-06T19:35:07Z")
Because he’s male. Oh, it’s a dog? Sorry. 🙂 Dogs lick their owners to indicate that they feel they need them, that they are part of the “family”. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/3 "2003-05-06T19:40:52Z")
could be the peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![Hobie\_the\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Hobie\_the\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobie_the_One)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/4 "2003-05-06T20:50:52Z")
Because he can? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/5 "2003-05-06T20:53:31Z")
Well, he also licks his testicles, doesn’t he? So I would agree that it is a sign of affection. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/6 "2003-05-06T21:04:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by metroshane \* > \*\*could be the peanut butter. \*\* Am I the only one who get this? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/7 "2003-05-06T21:07:15Z")
**Mahaloth** got it right. In wolf packs, subordinate wolfs lick at the mouths of the pack leaders when they greet them - it’s generally considered a carry over from puppyhood when the parents used to feed the pups by regurgitating food. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/8 "2003-05-06T21:11:09Z")
I’ve heard that pups will lick their Mom to encourage her to give them food. Ah, found a [cite](http://www.selkirkvet.com/behaviour_dogs.htm#a1), which also includes other theories. Sounds like it’s mostly affection. ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/9 "2003-05-06T21:11:39Z")
Isn’t the “dog” male? The “bitch” female? How come they are all lumped into dog? My dog licks me because she loves me. She doesn’’ lick my mouth, she licks my leg. Go figure. I choose to think it is love. She, however, has not forgotten her wolf ancestry. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/10 "2003-05-06T21:15:41Z")
Affection, grooming, submission…why not ask your pet? ---
**Author:** ![PurplePerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PurplePerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurplePerson)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/11 "2003-05-06T22:39:13Z")
Perhaps we should ask the pet psychologist. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/12 "2003-05-06T23:44:59Z")
Dog is to human as bitch is to woman. Don’t read that the wrong way, please. Does anyone know what is to man? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/13 "2003-05-06T23:56:10Z")
It is affection, deep affection- yes! - he’s hoping you’ll vomit so he can eat it; what husband would do that for you? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/14 "2003-05-07T00:12:07Z")
I’ve always heard sire as the male dog. **Mahaloth** , I got it. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-he-lick-me/173460/15 "2003-05-07T00:49:42Z")
I don’t believe the term ‘sire’ is appropriate unless the dog has, you know, sired a litter; I’m looking at my dogs AKC pedigree right now and it states ‘sire’ for the male dog and ‘dam’ is for the female dog in the pedigree.